WOOL GROWEES' ASSOCIATION. 383 



no other in the world. He apparently used any animal wliatever, without refer- 

 ence to breed or color; nor did he regard relationship, if he considered those 

 coupled together would be most likely to produce the results he wished to attain 

 in the off-pring. His ideal sheep was to him precisely what the desired Short- 

 horn was to the Colling Brothers, Mr. Bate?, or Mr. Booth, and all these breeders 

 gave their whole soul to the attainment of their one single object. Now for the 

 resnlt of Mr. Bakewell's labor. He began in 1755; in 1760 his rams were let for 

 an annual sum of about $i each. In 1780 he received $50 for the season's use of a 

 ram. In 1784 the price was raised to $525. In 1786 one ram was let for $1,575. 

 In 1789 he received $6,oOO for the use of three rams, all born at one birth; $10,500 

 fors'even others, and 315,750 for the use of the remainder of his flock, making a 

 grand total of $32,550 for the let of his rams one season. 



We present these figures to show you what one man can accomplish in money 

 and reputHtiou by the careful, intelligent and judicious selection of breeding 

 animals. The Southdown sheep were as successfully transformed in the hands of 

 Mr. Ellmao. He says when he commenced with them they were of small size, of 

 bad shape, being long and thin in the neck, high on the shoulder, low 

 behind, high on the loins, down on the rump, the tail low, sharp on the 

 back, the ribs flat, narrow in the forequarters, and the only good point they 

 had was a good leg. To Mes-rs. Ellraan and Webb, and their successors, belong 

 the credit of weeding out all these bad defects, and to-day the Southdown stands 

 unrivalled for its beauty and symmetry of form. But you will excuse this digres- 

 sion ; I present these thoughts, hoping they may be an incentive to the members of 

 our association in the improvement of their flocks. Do not buy a ram because he 

 is cheap (the cheapest usually turn out to be the dearest), but have your ideal type 

 of sheep, and spare no time, money, or labor to breed up to that type. 



As to the adaptation of the Cotswold sheep to our own State, I will say that 

 there are portions of our State, and every other State of our Union, that are not 

 adapted to sheep liusbandry. An old saying is that sheep must have a dry foot, or 

 disea.se follows. All men who have handled sheep kuo v that the soil most suit- 

 able for any kind of sheep is, one that is naturally drained with a sandy loam or 

 gravelly soil and subsoil, but as all have not this character of soil, 1 would say 

 that any dry land, naturally or artificially drained is adapted to sheep raising, and 

 I have only to say in relation to Cotswold sheep, that they will accommodate them- 

 selves to, and do well on any soil that other varieties will. 



It is said that Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, with their extensive coal-bear- 

 ing formations underlying dry rolling fields, have more sheep than any other State, 

 while New York, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, which cover an extensive deposit 

 of lime-stone and sandstone come next on the list. So you see our State is included 

 with those adapted to sheep. 



What is often considered a lack of adaptation of domestic animals to certain 

 soils and climates is nothing more or less than a lack of good, wholesome, nutri- 

 tions food, pure water, and careful attention. Why is it that some men always have 

 fat, sleek horses, and their neighbors have poor, lean ones, with the hair turned the 

 wrong way? Is it because the lean one.*? are not adapted to the soil and climate? 

 No. The one is groomed regularly, well bedded, watered and fed regularly, and, 



